


And So the Journey Restart

by LuckyKittens



Category: One Piece
Genre: Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Identity Issues, It's Hard and Nobody Understands, Luffy is roger, Luffy is roger but mostly luffy, Portgas D. Ace Needs a Hug, Reincarnation, Spoiler warning for recent chapter, The Author Regrets Nothing, author is confused too, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:53:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24303211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyKittens/pseuds/LuckyKittens
Summary: Luffy was four years old when he started to have half-remembered dream. He was five years old when the whispers came and told him stories. He was seven, when pirates came to his village and their captain made him felt so proud. But, this was the first time he met Shanks right?
Relationships: Gol D. Roger/Portgas D. Rouge
Comments: 21
Kudos: 114





	1. Romance Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I've been having this plot bunny since about 3 months. My roommate kept pestering me. And so this is born. Partially because I got headache doing my thesis and I kept falling to One Piece Fandom :D. Welp, Enjoy~

Luffy was 4 years old when he started to have half-remembered dreams. It's always the same thing, ' _Hey! That's a nice ship!_ '

' _I stole it. My house is burned down so I'm living in here.'_

Over and over again, the same dream sequence would haunt Luffy's dream until he went out and gazed at the sea. The sea always calmed him in a way that none others can. Makino always told him, whenever Luffy started getting fussy, Makino would bring him to the beach to cheer him up and it always work. For Luffy himself, there is something pulling him towards the sea. But not yet. He can't go yet.

* * *

At 5 years old, Luffy started to hear a song from the sea. Calling him to go to her, adventure is waiting she said. But Luffy solidly rejected it. _Not yet_ he said, _I'm not strong enough yet_. Luffy always wondered what he meant by that. Strong enough for what?

And so Luffy would always play by the beach, searching for conch shell to show Makino and other marine critters to messed around with. He would always remember the sea worm he showed mayor Woop Slap with extreme fondness.

* * *

Luffy's grandpa always come unexpectedly. A week before his 5th birthday for example, Garps suddenly came and bringing lots of gift. Either new clothes or toys. Luffy always felt happy when he came by. He never care about the presents, he just wanted to spent some times with his grandfather. Of course, deep within him he always felt wary of Garp, and he didn't know why.

"Luffy! Come on! The barbeque is ready!" He heard Garp called.

"Coming Grandpa! Shishishi~"

Not much people was invited by Garp. Mayor Woop Slap, Makino and a few other people that Luffy recognised often helped cleaning the house.

"The meat is mine Grandpa!"

"No it's not! You gotta share Luffy!"

"Noooo!!!"

* * *

Luffy had always able to hear the wind talked. Sometimes he just sat around the dock to gaze at the sea and listened to the wind. When Luffy was 6 years old, the wind changed. A gentle wind blew past him as he went to Makino's bar to have some lunch. Instinctively he looked towards the dock. There, anchored to the dock was a huge ship flying a black flag with dragonhead figure as its figurehead. A sudden nostalgic feeling flashed through before he shrugged it off.

He slammed the door to Makino's bar open, "MAKINO! 'Morning! I'm hungry! Shishishi~"

"Ah Luffy! Breakfast as usual?"

"Yes please!" Luffy said as he sat down on a stool at the bar. He was humming a melody he kept hearing in his dream when someone spoke to him.

"Where did you hear that song kid?" Luffy turned to the voice and saw the speaker had red hair and three scars across his left eye. The man was wearing a straw hat with red band on it. Within moment, a sense of familiarity flashed through, he felt proud of what the man became. _"You've grown well.'_

And yet, it was the first time Luffy met the man right? "Dunno. Someone used to sing it, I think? Who are you mister? I've never seen you around before." Luffy asked with a grin.

The man was taken aback at the eerily familiar grin. He shook his head and grinned back. "I'm Shanks. I'm a pirate."

"Pirate?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Yeah, a pirate. Someone who is going on an adventure in the sea and having freedom to do whatever they want."

"Really? That's so cool! I'm Luffy! Nice to meet ya'!"

And that's when Luffy begun his dream to be a pirate.

* * *

 _'Don't worry about Buggy! One day we'll sail there with our own ship!!'_ he felt proud of this kid from West Blue he took in on a whim. Truly, he'll be a great man in the future. If only he could see him grew up.

Luffy woke up with tears on his eyes and felt so proud. He was confused, the boy with straw hat in his dream felt familiar. Like he already saw him before. But, Luffy never met him right? Shaking, Luffy get up from the bed and cleaned up before he went to Party Bar again. Shanks' crew was docking last night and Luffy want to hear more stories from Shanks.

* * *

Several months passed by, the Red Hair crew was fun to be around. They brought chaos and merriment whenever they decided to dock. What Luffy truly enjoyed though, was his time with Shanks. No one knew why an enigmatic child like Luffy took a liking to Shanks. Then again, Shanks' crews just shrug it off and said, "Captain is good with kids. Sometimes," Before laughing it off and drank again.

For Shanks himself though, there was a nostalgic feeling whenever he saw Luffy's smile. A feeling of wanting to bask on the child's presence. He was attached he knew, and it was dangerous. But he couldn't help it, Luffy was just that contagious.

* * *

"Hey Shanks! Can you bring me with you?"

Cue, several crew members choke on their drink. Shanks himself stopped drinking for a moment and stare at Luffy.

"No can't do," he said simply.

"EEHHHH???? Why?? I wanna be a pirate like you guys!"

"Nope. You are still too small. You can't even swim!" Shanks exclaimed while Luffy pouted. Luffy knew he was still a kid, but something inside him wanted to travel together with Shanks.

_I want to see how far you've come_

Luffy shook his head at the sudden thought, "Just you wait! I'll show you I'm ready to go with you!"

"Dahahaha! We'll see Anchor. We'll see."

* * *

Early next morning, Luffy brought a knife with him. He stood on the coast near where Shanks' ship was docked. The sun was rising from behind the mountain. As it did so, the ship's crew started to wake up. Several of the night watchers noticed Luffy and were waving their hand to Luffy and he wave back. Luffy continued enjoying watching the sea. Below him, a smattering of bubble appear.

"Hey Anchor! What are you doing here by yourself?" He heard Shanks called for him.

"I'm waiting for my friend!" he shouted back.

"Friend? What friend?" and from the bubble bursted out a cow-headed seaking.

"Moomoo-chan!" Luffy exclaimed, happy to see his friend again.

"Wait Luffy! That thing is dangerous!" said Shanks as he unsheathed his blade. But Luffy didn't back down. He kept hugging the cow-headed seaking.

"Don't worry Shanks! Moomoo-chan is my friend!" and amazingly, the seaking seemed to understand Luffy. It let itself being hugged by Luffy, even when Luffy was jumping around its head. Shanks shook his head in amazement.

"Really Anchor. How did you even befriend a seaking?" asked Shanks.

"Moomoo-chan got lost, so he accidentally wandered in here. He was so confused and crying all the time and I can't sleep because of it so I smack him down," Luffy rambled.

Shanks sweatdropped at that, trust Luffy to smack a distressed seaking.

"And then, what happen?"

"He calmed down and said he got lost. So I promised him I'll make sure to bring him to his pod!" Luffy explained cheerily.

Shanks laughed merrily, until he remembered what Luffy said.

"Wait, what do you mean he talked to you Anchor? Do you understand him?"

"Yeah!"

"I see," Shanks said. _So similar to Captain Roger indeed_ he thought. Luffy took around half an hour to play with Moomoo-chan, afterwards they traveled back together to have breakfast at Makino's.

* * *

"That was a foolish thing to do!" Shanks shouted at Luffy.

"But I just wanted to go to the sea with you!" Luffy shouted back. They kept bickering at each other while the rest of the crew continued their merrymaking.

"Luffy, the captain's just doing what's best for everyone," the first mate of Red Hair Pirates, Benn Beckman chuckled gently as he lit his cigarette. "The safety of the entire crew rests on his shoulder. Being a pirate isn't all fun and games you know. The captain knows about all the danger of the sea. It's not like he wanted to crush your dream."

Luffy did know. Deep inside him he did know that burden. The burden of ensuring everyone on his crew is happy even if he brought them to where ever his whim wanted to. But he didn't know that yet. Luffy was just 7 years old after all.

"I know that," Luffy exclaimed much to the surprise of everyone. "Shanks just likes to make me look dumb!"

"Hey Anchor! I just love to make fun of the kid," Shanks called as he snickered. Luffy just gave a deadpan look at Benn. Makino came in at that time, smiling gently and asked if Luffy would like something to eat. Luffy continued to talk with Shanks, asking him on when he would leave. Apparently, their time of leaving was near, around two or three more voyages.

They continue to talk about everything and nothing, just spending time with each other. _'You really has grown up well kid_ ' somewhere deep inside Luffy thought.

Later, a bunch of mountain bandit came and Luffy spotted a shiny unlocked chest. As the bandit harassed Makino, Luffy opened a chest and saw a weird fruit with swirly pattern. And so, without much care, he ate the fruit. The worst tasting fruit he had ever eaten. But Luffy continue to eat it. Makino and grandpa said to not waste food after all.

And then the stupid mountain bandit smash a liquor bottle on Shanks. Luffy felt indescribable anger. This bastard dared to hurt his friend( _kid_ )! _**How dare he!**_ And yet, Shanks didn't lose his cool demeanor. He just kept silent and laughing everything of even when the damned ( _insignificant_ ) bandit! Even when the bandits left, the crew didn't do anything. They just laughed at Shanks. Luffy didn't understand ( _but he did, he just didn't want to_ ). So he yelled at Shanks and tried to leave. Except, Shanks grab a hold on his hand and his hand stretched.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME!!!" And so, Monkey D. Luffy became a devil fruit user ( _How bizarre_ )

* * *

Several weeks passed by as the Red Hair Pirate went on their voyage across East Blue. The little village was calm as usual and Luffy's dream had gotten even weirder. Just last night, he dreamed of finding a red-nosed boy hiding behind a dumpster and said boy was screaming his head off. It was very funny that Luffy woke up laughing. Of course, now that several hours have passed that dream began to be forgotten. Luffy won't forgot the feeling of elation the dream caused though.

The wind blew through village, with it Luffy heard several whispers. The first, is the mountain bandit will came again, and the second is that the Red Hair crew would make their final stop before leaving. Luffy thought he won't care anymore, and yet, the fact that the Red Hair Pirates would never visits Foosha Village again. But then, Luffy understand that the sea called to them. They are criminals and yet they are free. More free than anybody else. And Luffy wanted that. That freedom is what drove him to ask Shanks numerous time to let him join him. Luffy took a deep breath and smiled. 'Fish would be good today' he thought.

After ignoring the mayor as usual, Luffy went to visit Makino at her bar. 

"Do you miss them Luffy?" She asked as she cleaned up the glasses.

"Not at all! They let those mountain bandits humiliated them. I misjudged those guys!" Luffy grumbled.

"Are you sure? Maybe sometimes it took more courage to not fight," she said.

"Makino don't understand. A real man has to stand up for themselves no matter what."

"Fu fu, I suppose I don't," she said with a smile. The door to the bar suddenly opened. Immediately, the whispers told Luffy that the bandits were there. At first Luffy ignored them as they continued to wreak havoc at the bar. But they kept on badmouthing Shanks and his crew, and Luffy can't take it anymore ( _Stop badmouthing my kid you bastard!!_ ). And so, Luffy backtalked them. He kept on insulting and giving even more creative insult at the bandits that they were speechless. Luffy himself didn't know where the insults came from, just that it fitted the bandits to a T. Makino tried to stop Luffy, but Luffy was to angry to care. The bandits got angrier with each insults, until they finally snapped and dragged Luffy outside.

They beat him up and when they found out about his devil fruit ability, the bandit boss Higuma threatened to sell Luffy to the circus. Luffy didn't care, he just want them to apologize about what they said about Shanks and his crew. So he fought back, over and over again. When the stupid bandit stepped on his face, Luffy noticed the mayor bowed down to beg for Luffy's life. ( _No. You don't have to do that!_ ). But Higuma was too angry to care. Right when Higuma tried to cut his head off, Shanks suddenly appear.

"Nobody came to greet us at the harbor. I was wondering what was going on..." Shanks said. "Oh, Luffy! I thought your punch was as powerful as pistol."

Luffy, still annoyed at the fact he was squished down grumbled, "Really not the time Cap'n!"

Higuma, the idiot that he was, kept on badmouthing the Pirates. One of his goon pointed a gun at Shanks' head but Shanks kept his calm. "You're putting your life on the line by pointing that at me," he said serenely. Unknown to the bandits, Lucky Roo already moved and pointed his flintlock at the bandit. Just as Shanks finished talking, Lucky Roo shot the bandit dead while eating his food. Everyone was stunned, no one had seen when Lucky Roo moved.

"We are pirates! And we don't play by the rules. Listen up, you can pour drinks on me, throw food at me, even spit on me and I'll just laugh it off. But, Good reason or not, NOBODY HURTS A FRIEND OF MINE!" A wave of presence flooded the village from Shanks. For Luffy, he felt awe ( _pride_ ) at what Shanks said. Friend? This was the first time Luffy had a friend. The Foosha village had a small number of children, and very few wanted to be Luffy's friend. So, he was Shanks' friend?

Enraged, the rest of the bandits immediately tried to attack the pirates. Benn took care of them so swiftly, non of the bandits stood a chance. Knowing this, Higuma immediately grabbed Luffy and escaped from the village. He stole a boat from the dock and brought Luffy with him.

"Hahahahaha! Nobody would expect a mountain bandit to hideout at the sea! Well, I suppose I don't have any use for you," Higuma smirked cruelly. Luffy tried to fight, but his limbs are uncontrollable and Higuma is too strong. Belatedly, Luffy felt a presence similar to Moomoo-chan. Higuma threw him overboard, Luffy struggled to kept on breathing and afloat. But the sea was sapping his strength slowly but surely. The presence appeared behind Higuma, the Lord of the Coast that grandpa said to be emergency ration. That stupid grandpa, which part of the beast is emergency ration?

The lord ate Higuma and his boat in one big snap, it then spotted Luffy and moved toward him. Luffy struggled more and more, but the sapped more of his strength. He almost gave up when someone grabbed him.

"Shanks!" he shouted relieved, but that relieve turned to dread when he noticed the blood spreading around Shanks.

"Get out of here!" Shanks told the Lord, a wave of presence swept over Luffy and the Lord turned to flee. They kept floating at the sea for a while while waiting for rescue boat.

"Luffy, I'm sorry. Makino told me that you stood up for me and my crew. Hey, now. Stop crying, you're a tough guy remember? Don't you want to bring Moomoo-chan home?" Shanks smiled brightly at him. But Luffy kept on crying.

"But Shanks! What about your arm!?" He sobbed ( _I'm sorry for being weak kid)._ And yet, Shanks kept on holding him tightly, never letting him go.

"It's just an arm. I'm just glad you're okay," and at that, Luffy can't hold back his cry anymore.

* * *

"You won't return will you?" Luffy ask as he sat on a barrel near the ship.

"Hmm, how did you know?" Shanks asked back.

"The whispers told me. Said you will make your final stop when the bandits came." Luffy answered.

Stunned at his answer, Shanks only stared at Luffy. For a moment, an image of someone long gone was overlapping with little Luffy sitting on the barrel. He shook his, just a coincidence, he thought.

"Are you sad?"

"Of course I am. But I won't ask you to bring me to the sea."

"Hoo.... Why is that?"

Luffy turned is gaze to the mountain. Right after they reach land from the accident five days ago, the wond from the mountain brought with it a whisper of loneliness. "There is something I need to do for now. Also, one day I'll gather my own crew!"

"Hah! There is no way you'll become a pirate! You're so tiny!" Shanks laughed at him.

"I'll grow! And then I'll gather my crew and will have better ship than yours! My crewmates will be better than yours! Also, we'll be the freest men in the world! I'll be the king of Pirates!" Luffy exclaimed. ( _At his own words, he felt a strong sense of nostalgia. Yes, his last journey was finished, but who is to say he can't have a new one?_ )

"Hmm, you'll be better than us huh?" Shanks chuckled, he moved his hand to his hat, "Well then, do me a favor? Keep this hat safe for me?" he said as he put the hat on Luffy's downturned head.

"This hat means a lot to me. Promise me you'll give it back to me someday, when you've become a great pirate," and with that, Shanks left the Foosha village on his ship.

Luffy grabbed the hat tightly, pulling it down to cover his eyes. He cried and the tears just wouldn't stop. Shanks left, and with him the promise of adventure he always brought with him. But during his stay, Luffy learned a lot of things. And with that, he hold back his tears and shouted at the leaving ship, "I PROMISE YOU SHANKS! I'LL BE THE GREATEST PIRATE EVER!!!"

( _Truly, you gathered a good crew kid_ )

* * *

"You kept smiling captain. Don't tell me you and Makino-san...." Yasopp said suggestively. The rest of the crew listened, a gossip about captain is always funny.

"Nah, nothing like that. It felt like someone important to me gave his approval of the me now. It felt, refreshing." Shanks smiled as he kept on staring at the vanishing shore of Dawn Island. His crew didn't understand. But that's fine. This is a feeling only crewmembers of Roger Pirates would understand. The feeling of Captain Roger's approval. The way his eyes shine when they found something new, even when he was very sick.

He grabbed his missing arm, feeling the healing stump. Yes, the future will be very exciting indeed.


	2. Nice to meet you, my dearest friend (son)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garp came back, and he saw the familiar straw hat hanging from his grandson's neck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Errmm, hi? Sorry, it's been a while? Almost two months was it? Ah, I finally graduated bachelor's degree, and now I'm preparing for a professional course. I mean, I can't exactly find a job without the working permits.
> 
> *Sigh, why did I pick Pharmacy again? Oh right, trying to avoid Physics, but apparently Pharmacy had Physics in it too.
> 
> Ah well, what's done is done. Enjoy the chapter. Made a bit of change in some parts of the manga but probably not really important.

_‘G..p! I’m going to be a father! But I’ll die by the time it’s born.’_ A feeling of remorse slithered through his heart. And yet, he felt happy.

 _‘Why are you telling me this Ro…? I’m with the navy! We mean to hunt down anyone who was ever associated with you!’_ the man in front of him was blurry. He had black hair with some gray in it and wore a white coat.

 _‘My wife and our unborn child are innocent G..p! We’ve been fighting for years. I trust you as much as my shipmates. Save my child!’_ he felt a wild grin stretched across his face. He only knew of his child when he was preparing to surrender himself. He never had the chance to contact his friends, but out of all marines, the man in front of him had the best morals. He can trust him.

 _‘Stop talking nonsense!’_ the man yelled, his face contorted in frustration. But he knew the man would keep his promise.

 _‘I know you’ll do it. Take care of my child!’_ Yes. The man in front of him would fulfill his promise. His moral code will demand no less. A child is innocent after all, regardless of what the government thought about their bloodline.

* * *

Luffy woke up with tears brimming in his eyes. A sense of regret and satisfaction warring within him. ‘Oh, I wonder if I’ll meet him again,’ he thought. And yet, he knew he already met the man from his dream.

It was a week after the Red Hair Pirates left for the Grand Line. Luffy continues to run around the village. Most of the time, he could be found on a short cliff near the port and in Makino’s bar. Today, he was cleaning up his room. The wind and the sea had whispered to him of an old monkey coming home. If that wasn’t his grandpa he didn’t know who. Better to clean up his room rather than having the fist of love.

After he finished, he grabbed Shanks’ ( _his_ ) straw hat and went the cliff. He whistled rather loudly to call Moomoo-chan. He didn’t appear alone, the lord of the coast was with him. Luffy was worried. He knew Moomoo-chan won’t hurt him, but his encounter with the lord two weeks ago still haunted his mind. He prepared himself, he wasn’t in the sea anymore so he should be able to fight back. Instead, Moomoo-chan told him the lord was sorry about what he did. The lord crooned lowly and lower its head to him.

“Is that so? Don’t randomly eat human okay?” he asked. The Lord nodded and crooned again to Moomoo-chan.

“Okay. Have fun you two!” Luffy waved at the beasts as the beasts left to play at the coastline.

Luffy then left to go to Makino’s. It was lonely now that the pirates have left, but the weather is nice and the whispers kept him company for a while. Luffy kept on humming his song, Bink’s sake as Shanks said. The upbeat tune cheers him up a bit as he continued his journey.

“Makino! I’m hungry!” Luffy shouted as he opened the door. Makino smiled from behind the counter, she asked if he wanted the usual and Luffy said yes. They spent the entire afternoon talking about the two beasts and about the pretty shells Luffy found on the way.

It is still lonely though, in his mind, Luffy could hear the random people singing Bink’s sake and partying. With someone on the background yelling to stop drinking since an enemy ship was nearby.

‘Sigh, I want to meet those weird blurry people,’ ( _I missed my crew_ )

* * *

Garp returned five days later. He was worried about Luffy since he heard of the Red Hair Pirates were staying in Dawn Island. He quickly went to his house (house, never home. Home was gone the moment his darling wife died and his idiot son chose to destroy the government) to check on Luffy. He wasn’t at the house, but his room was tidy. Weird, Luffy always knew when he would come back.

After checking every inch of his house, he went to the Mayor’s house. After knocking rather loudly and being yelled at by Woop Slap he was directed to Makino’s bar. There, he found Luffy scarfing down several plates of food.

“Bwahahahaha! Healthy appetite as usual huh, Luffy?” He laughed, feeling glad that his grandson was okay. Luffy turned from his meal. A smile took over his face as he saw his grandpa back.

“Grandpa! You are back!” He launched himself to his grandpa, winding his arms several times across Garp’s waist. Instantly, Garp was shocked. His grandson arm just stretched. His grandson ate a devil fruit, and he saw red.

“FIST OF LOVE!” he slammed a fist on Luffy’s head. The child cringed and quickly scooted away from Garp, holding his throbbing head.

“Why are you hitting me?!” Luffy shouted. “And why is it hurt?!”

“You ate a devil fruit! That’s why! Where did you even find a devil fruit in this village?”

“Ah! I accidentally ate it! I thought it was a dessert shishishi!” Luffy laughs sheepishly. He truly thought the fruit was a special dessert by Makino.

Meanwhile, Garp facepalmed. Trust his family to think with their stomach, even Dragon did the same when he was younger. Only when he turned into an adult his eating scaled down considerably. And then, he noticed a familiar thing hanging from his grandson’s neck.

“Luffy, where did that straw hat came from?” he asked, dread filling his gut.

“Oh, this? Shanks gave it to me. It’s our promise to gave it back to him when I became a great pirate,” Luffy answered. If Garp saw the nostalgic look on his grandson’s face he didn’t mention it. Instead, he had a flashback of when he was still a newly promoted rear admiral and Roger pirates were still establishing their name. At the time, Roger still wore his iconic straw hat. The same straw hat hanging from Luffy’s neck. He itched to grab the damned straw hat and ripped it apart, yet he knew Luffy already attached to it. Taking the hat away from him will break Luffy, and Garp can’t do that to his beloved grandson. So instead, Garp decided to focus on something else.

“A pirate?! No way! You’ll be a marine!”

“No! I don’t want to be a marine! I want to be the pirate king!”

“Marine!”

“Pirate king!”

“Marine!”

“Pirate king!”

“Marine!”

“Pirate king!”

“That’s enough! I’ve been too lax on you! It’s time to start your training!” Garp howled as he grabbed Luffy from his scruff.

“Wait! Mr. Garp! Where are you taking Luffy?” Makino yelled in concern.

“To a friend!” Garp yelled back. Makino stood in front of her bar in uncertainty as she saw Luffy being dragged away by Garp to the mountain.

* * *

“Let go! I told you I wanna be the pirate king!” Luffy tried to swat his grandfather. It’s just too bad that Garp had a strong grip on his cheek.

“Nonsense! Not only you ate a devil fruit, but you also spouted this nonsense! You and Ace both! You’re going to be the best Marine ever!” Garp shouted back. At the mention of the new name, Luffy froze for a second.

_‘Ace for a boy, Ann for a girl. What do you think?’_

Garp’s grip on his cheek forced Luffy to return to reality, the voice just now immediately gone from his mind.

“I shouldn’t have left you in that peaceful village!” Garp grumbled. They finally reached a hut in the middle of the forest that seems to be Garp’s destination. He rapped the door numerous times while calling someone called Dadan. The door opened slowly opened, and three scared bandits came out. Garp talked to them for a bit, while Dadan, the bandit leader seemed to be complaining about something. Luffy didn’t pay any attention, he just found Hercules beetle and tried to catch it.

“AAAAAAA!!! Another one of your grandson?!” he heard Dadan screamed. Again, Luffy didn’t pay any attention to their protests or Garp’s laugh. He saw another beetle and wanted to catch it too. Right when Luffy almost caught it, someone spits on him.

“Agh! Yuck! Who did that?!” Luffy turned to see the one who spits on him. He saw a boy, with very familiar freckles and wavy hair. As soon as he saw the boy, he remembered seeing a woman watching the sunset, smiling softly at him as if she had been waiting for him. A very fond feeling arose in him, he wanted to hold that woman close and never let go. He felt tears swimming in his eyes. Distantly, he saw Garp, the bandits, and the boy looked so confused. But he can only cry, he truly missed that woman. Even if he can’t remember who that woman is.

When Luffy finally calmed down enough, Garp told him that the boy’s name is Ace and he will be his brother from now on. Luffy still felt upset about the fact that Ace spit on him and his complicated feeling about his new brother ( _son_ ), but the urge to be a friend ( _father_ ) to Ace was so strong he couldn’t help but forgive the boy.

* * *

Or maybe not, the little shit kept on evading him and almost killed him numerous times. That fallen log alone could kill a normal human. Though, with the way Ace kept trying to kill him, he could train himself in using the mystery voice better. The wolves, the crocodiles, the snakes, the falling rocks, and everything else helped to train him on using the mystery voice. And then, in the third month of chasing after Ace, he found it. A huge mountain of junk piles. The smell alone almost dissuaded him, the voice of discontent and despair, of anger and everything else, didn’t help. But he saw Ace came here, he saw Ace mugged several men in the entrance and then came here. So Luffy listened to the mystery voice to find out where Ace has gone.

It was underneath an old giant tree that was on the edge of the piles that he heard them talking.

“I wonder how much a pirate ship cost?”

“Don’t know. Could be tens or even hundreds of millions. Hurry up and close it. Somebody could see us,” he heard Ace spoke. And Luffy never heard him so excited. Cautious, but excited. It’s as if Ace only felt excited when talking about his dream, and Luffy wanted that. He wanted Ace to be as excited as that when he talked with Luffy. Most importantly, he wanted Ace to stop feeling so lonely. And so, feeling a little bit bold, he yelled at them.

“A pirate ship?! You guys wanna be pirates!? Me too!” he smiled brightly. Weirdly, the two boys looked scared at seeing him there. Really, how rude. He just wanted to be their friend since they shared the same dream. Though, the next thing he knew, he was tied up at the base of the tree with the boys planning to kill him.

“WHAAATTT!!!! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!!” He shouted.

“Hey shut up!! Sabo! Hurry up and kill him!” Ace told the blond boy.

“What? You kill him! I never killed anybody before!” the blond spat back.

“Me neither! I don’t know how!” Ace said.

“Y’know, if you don’t wanna kill me, then don’t. Taking a life has a rather heavy consequence,” he told them. Ace and Sabo were a bit surprised at the deep insight. They hesitated on killing the boy, but they need to make sure their treasures were safe. In their hesitation, they didn’t notice the angry group that was closing in on them.

“Are you sure it was Ace that stole it!?” a huge man snarled.

“Yes, it's embarrassing, but we were caught off guard," a spiky-haired man said.

As the suspicious men were talking, Luffy managed to escape his confinement. He noticed that both Ace and Sabo ran and hid from the men and so he decided to go to their place as well. The thing is, the straw-hatted boy didn't notice the pebble near him so he stumbled right to the men's path.

"ARGH!!! LET ME GO!!" Luffy struggled when the blue-haired man caught him. He kept yelling for Ace to help him when the big man slapped him hard.

"You know Ace?" he asked. Luffy knew this meant bad news. These men wanted to hurt Ace for whatever reason and he can't let them. Maybe, if he lied to them Ace would be his friend ( _son_ )?

"Oh, you know an ace?. You see, I got lost in the road of life so I need an ace to put me back to the right path. Huh, doesn't really make sense ain't it?" Luffy said with a straight face. Meanwhile, everyone around him was flabbergasted that he could tell such a ridiculous lie with a straight face like that.

"Hrmph. Whatever, maybe some incentive would make you remember who Ace is," the man said.

* * *

It was dusk when Luffy came to consciousness. He had been beaten by a hammer at first, but when the man, Porchemy as he called himself, switched to a pair of spiked gloves, he started to drift off. Luffy never screams though. He had never screamed when the marines tortured him during his captivity, he will never scream against these low-level pirates. ' _Huh, the marines never caught me before, right?_ ' Luffy thought. He dismissed the fleeting thought ( _memory_ ) as caused by the torture.

Luffy could dimly hear Porchemy demanding him to tell him where Ace and Sabo kept their treasure. But Luffy won't tell. If he did, Ace won't be his friend. He doesn't want that. He wanted to have at least one friend so he won't be lonely. _'But if I had to die to protect someone, then that's fine,_ ' he thought with a smile. Apparently, his smile disturbs Porchemy so much because the beating became harder than before.

But then, just when Luffy thought he was going to die, the wall was kicked down.

"STOOOPPP!!!" the two children yelled. Happiness surged through Luffy's heart when he heard the voices. ' _They didn't leave me!_ ' he thought with a teary smile.

"Porchemy! They are the ones who stole our treasures!" the spiky-haired man shouted.

"Is that so? Thanks for saving the trouble of finding you, brats!" Porchemy snarled as he hit Ace. Ace didn't stay down for long. Both he and Sabo tag-teamed the pirates to free Luffy until Sabo managed to steal a knife and cut the rope holding Luffy. Sabo then brought Luffy's battered body to safety while calling Ace to hurry to escape with them.

"Go on without me! Once I faced an enemy... I never run away!" he said determinedly. Luffy, amid his pain, heard what Ace said. He wished to yell at Ace, not all enemies had to be faced. He could run away to live and fight another day, but Luffy couldn't. He had to protect Ace, Ace is his son, but Ace was to be his friend right? The contradiction hurt his head so much, it was like something split his head open. He was who? He is Luffy, but also, who? He didn't know. He didn't want to know. The one he used to be was over. He should be all Luffy, not with the added parts.

And so, with a terrible headache, he passed out. ' _At least, they came back for me_ '

* * *

A beautiful golden bell covered in vines stood above the clouds _. "How are we going to carry this, captain?"_ a blue-haired boy with a red nose asked eagerly.

 _"You can come back and get it when you are captain yourself, I don't have time for this now,"_ he said. Secretly, he wished to clutch his chest. They were too high and the air was too thin. It was rather difficult for him to breathe.

 _"Aww, not even a little piece?"_ the boy asked sadly.

He ignored the boy, the air was thin and it was hurt just to breathe, but he was too excited by the future possibilities. " _Hey, O***! Carve a message for me! 'I hereby guide this to the end!'"_

 _"What? Just like that?"_ his friend carved his message just as he wanted to.

 _"Yup! That's perfect! Well done O***!"_ right there on the side of the bell, is the words his friend carved for him. He didn't know what each word means, but he trusted his friend to do it right. Maybe, someday, someone will reach this place and followed his trails to the final island.

* * *

When Luffy woke up, his wound was bandaged and his headache gone. He was sure his headache wasn't caused by the beating, but he can't remember why. He sat up and saw Ace and Sabo were staring at him. He felt his tears leaked out and tried to hold back a sob. He can't do that, "HUAAAA!!!! I thought I was gonna die!"

"Shut up! How long are you gonna cry?! I hate cowards and crybabies! It's annoying!" Ace shouted at him. Luffy immediately pursed his lips and tried to hold back his tears. But then, he remembered the manners painstakingly taught to him by Makino ( _The old orphanage lady_ ) and bowed his head.

"Thank you, hic" he sobs-muttered. Somehow, him saying thanks made Ace angry instead.

"Dumbass. Why didn't you tell them where the treasures are anyway? You know they'll kill women and children without care!" Ace yelled again. But Luffy, he shook his head and clutch his straw hat tightly as if it was his lifeline.

"If I'd told them, I couldn't be your friend anymore," Luffy answered with a small voice.

"So what?! It's better than dying! Why do you want to befriend me anyway?!" Ace yelled at him.

Luffy was annoyed, he just wants to befriend the lonely boy and Ace asked him why? Why did Ace need a reason anyway? That's silly!

"BECAUSE I GOT NOBODY ELSE! Grandpa said I can't go back to the village and I hate Bandits! I don't want to be alone! Being alone hurt worse than being dead!" he heaved after shouting that much. If Ace still didn't want to accept him, well, tough luck. He will stubbornly follow the boy wherever he went until Ace accept him. Shanks always said Luffy is more stubborn than a mule after all.

Ace looked stunned though, he seems to be considering something. And then, he asked Luffy, "What about your parents?"

Luffy shook his head, "Don't have any. Only had grandpa."

"So, you feel better when you're around me? You... You need me?" he asked again. Luffy nodded at both of his questions.

"Do you... want me to be alive?" Ace asked, his usually frowning face softened into something that looked unsure.

"What kind of question is that?! Are you stupid?! Of course I want you alive! I want to be your friend after all!" Luffy shouted annoyed. He kept his glare on Ace's stupefied face. In the background, he can hear Sabo snickering.

Ace sighed, he rubbed his face and muttered something before finally let out a great exhale. "Fine, but I still hate babies like you."

"What do you mean baby? Why don't you try getting hit by spiked gloves huh? And I'm still seven, when I'm your age I'll be tougher than you!"

"Huh?! When you are ten I'll be thirteen, you idiot!" Ace shouted back. They continued to bicker for a while until Sabo had enough and hit their head.

"Alright! That's enough! I got a problem here," he said. When he was done talking about his problem, both Luffy and Ace just looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Are you stupid or what? Just come with us and sleep at the bandit hut," Ace deadpanned.

Sabo looked confused, "Are you sure I'll be allowed? Won't they get mad?"

"Shishishi! Who cares? Let's go already!" Luffy said as he picked a random direction to go.

"That's the wrong way, you idiot!" Ace shouted as he dragged Luffy by his shirt. Sabo meanwhile just smiled and followed them to the bandits' hut.

* * *

" _What! You are pregnant?!_ " he exclaimed with a cough at the end. His darling R**** helped him to sit down.

" _How long have you known?_ " he asked softly, he ran out of breath so easily now. His voice too was not as strong as usual. It seems today is another bad day.

" _I found out four months ago. Right after you went on your final journey,_ " she said softly. Inwardly, he felt so deliriously happy. A child of his own, a family, finally! But then, he remembered what he found at the final island and of the government breathing down his neck.

" _Oh my dearest, I'm so happy. But you know my illness, Crocus said I would be lucky if I last another six months, and the government won't stop at nothing to kill me and my bloodline,_ " Roger sighed sadly.

" _I know. But I won't give up. This is our child, even if the government decreed that he must be killed, I won't let them,_ " she looked so beautiful at that moment. Sitting in a rocking chair with the sun rising behind the window. Truly like that of an angel. An angel deciding something more important than her own life. At that moment he knew, this woman he truly loved will sacrifice herself for this unborn child of theirs. But then again, so will he. This child didn't choose to born of his bloodline. The child will live, even if he himself have to die.


	3. The Vow, Separation and Burning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So they make a vow, but trouble arise, and the Terminal is burning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of this chapter is rather awkward. But if I didn't cut it here, the chapter could run away to 7k words. Which is something I didn't like. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

Ever since the first time Ace saw Luffy, he already knew the kid was weird. What kind of person cried just after seeing his face anyway? He knew his face is scary, but not that scary dammit! Nevertheless, the fact that the crybaby actually kept their secret was surprising. Even more surprising was that the kid looked angry when Ace asked him about his worth to live. That was nice, a very nice feeling he never felt before. Not even Sabo's reassurance ever makes him felt this nice. The day got even better when Sabo finally moved in to live with them. Really, this might be one of the few nice days he ever had.

The kid sucks at fighting, what kind of devil fruit that gave the power of rubber anyway? So lame. He can't even use it properly. Ah well, he and Sabo can teach the kid anyway. And he gotta admit, the kid brought some brightness to their usually dull and boring life. The usual crocodile hunt got even more challenging now that they have to make sure Luffy didn't get eaten, again, like the last 15 times.

Seriously, Luffy is a weird kid. Sometimes he tilted his head like listening to some faraway voice. After that, the kid would drag them somewhere in the forest and they'd find some rare berries or mushroom. Sometimes they even found some bee's nest that they could raid for the honey. Dadan was particularly nice towards them whenever they brought those honey.

Luffy also had some weird dreams. One day, he got woken up when Luffy suddenly jolted up and started crying. He kept chanting "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you," for a while before he got this glazed look and fell asleep again.

"Hey Luffy," he would call. Luffy then tilted his head to say he was listening.

"What did you dream of last night?" he asked curiously. Distantly he noticed Sabo perked up a bit. Huh, maybe Sabo got woken up too.

"Dream? I didn't dream anything last night. Oh! Maybe I dreamed of meat? Huh, sirloin, chuck, rib, short loin... Urgh, Ace Sabo! I'm hungry now!" He complained instead.

Pissed, Ace hit Luffy's head, "YOU JUST EAT 1 HOUR AGO DAMMIT!"

"That was 1 hour ago! I'm hungry again now!" Luffy shouted back.

Ace gave up. There was no way he will listen to the idiot. And so, Luffy's dream went forgotten, until the next week when Ace went to the restroom at night. When he went back to back, he heard Luffy mumbling something about a laughing tale and a joyous boy. Really, what a weird kid.

* * *

"Guys! Let's sell the crocodile skins to edge town. We might finally get enough money to eat at that ramen shop!" Sabo suggested. Luffy, being Luffy, already drooled imagining the taste of the ramen. Ace frowned for a bit. As a forest brat, he didn't like going to the town. Something about the main city of Goa Kingdom rubbed him the wrong way. But, they have been working really hard, and the surplus of crocodile skins won't give them anything anyway. Maybe treating themselves some ramen won't be that bad.

"Sure. Let's grab the coat. What's the formation?" Ace asked.

"Luffy will probably fall if he got the foot, so Luffy in the middle, Ace the bottom, and I'm the top?" Sabo said.

"No way, we already did that last time. I'm top today." Ace argued.

"Oh fine, we'll do that," Sabo relented.

"But I want to be top!" Luffy complained loudly. While Sabo tried to calm him down, Ace contemplated the look

Luffy had when he discusses their position to sneak in the town with Sabo. He looked so serious, something Ace only saw when they encounter the Tiger Lord or Duke Bear.

"Hey, Luffy. Why do you want to stand at the top? You can't even change your voice," Ace asked.

Luffy frowned, his lips all puckered up in annoyance, "I have a bad feeling today, or, maybe not? I don't know. Maybe it's not important? Hrmmm...." his face all scrunched up in concentration.

Ace and Sabo looked at each other, Luffy's bad feeling, while sometimes absurd, was mostly accurate. if he had a bad feeling, maybe it's better to postpone selling the crocodile skins?

"But I want to try that ramen thingy. So let's go!" he said brightly. Well, that decides it then. Stomach always rule whatever decision Luffy made.

* * *

They manage to raid the ramen shop and escaped. During their escape, Ace heard one of those stuffy nobles called Sabo. Suspicious, but Sabo said he called the wrong person. But really, how many people in this kingdom named Sabo anyway? That's a pretty rare name.

When pestered, Sabo finally admits that that noble was his father and how ashamed he was to be related to those rotten people.

"I'm sorry for not telling you both anything,"-he drooped and tinker with his pipe-"but I don't want you to hate me. If you wanted me to leave, I understand."

Ace sighed and rubbed his head. "Are you stupid? Does it look like we care about who your father is?" he said instead.

Luffy nodded decisively, "Un! Ace hates his dad, and I don't know if I had a dad or not. Gramps never told me anything. So who cares about your dad anyway!"

Sabo looked stunned, if Ace paid more attention to it, he would see the tears threatening to fall from Sabo's face. Sabo shook his head and asked quietly, "Really? You don't mind?"

"I mind actually," Ace said nonchalantly to the point Luffy glared at him.

"Don't look at me like that!" He shouted, "I mean that I mind he kept it a secret for so long! Not about his father. Who cares if your father is a noble or the king or whatever. You are still our friend, you got that?"

Sabo looked so shocked, he nodded numbly. Suddenly, he stood up, "Ace! Luffy! Let's go out to the sea someday! Let's get out of this country! So we can be free!"

"I want to see the world and wrote a book about it! And navigation is the one thing I like to study! Let's get stronger together and become pirates!" Sabo's face looked so bright and full of hope. Something in Ace's chest felt light just seeing that. Slowly but surely, a grin started to curl in his face. Something so rare to happen.

"Ha! you don't need to convince me! I'm gonna be a pirate and win, win, win!! It doesn't matter if the world hates me.... I'll be a great pirate and prove my life's worth something!" as Ace vowed, the wind blew carrying both of their promise to the world. Ace noticed the light steps behind him. He turned to see Luffy walking towards him with his straw hat covering his face. Something in his gait pulled his attention and around him, the world went silent. Without knowing why, Ace stepped back giving Luffy his place.

Luffy stood at the cliff, facing the sea and the churning wave beneath it. He looked at the sea for a moment, before he spoke softly, "I heard your vow and promises. So this is my own. I WILL BE THE KING PIRATES!!!" his last words were yelled so loudly the silence shattered. Where before, after Ace and Sabo's promises the wind blew softly, after Luffy's the blew so harsh Sabo's hat almost flew away. The wave beneath the cliff churned even more dangerous than before and thunder rumbled from a faraway place. It was as if the world was challenging Luffy to fulfill his vow and promises.

Luffy turned back to them and laughed freely. The setting sun shone behind him and the wind caresses his hair. Just for a moment, Ace saw a wildly grinning man overlapping Luffy's figure. But, that can't be, right? Just a trick of the light.

With the three of them shouting their vows and dreams to the sea and sky, Ace thought it's time for that thing he planned since last week. "Hey, you two. Tomorrow morning, why don't you guys wait here? I have a surprise for you both," he said. Somehow, both Sabo and Luffy looked stunned and scared respectively, with Luffy immediately hid behind Sabo.

"Saabooo... Who's that? That can't be Ace right? He was being too nice!" he cried.

Sabo himself spread his arms as if to protect Luffy from Ace, "Yeah! You are an impostor, aren't you? There is no way that prickly Ace being nice and wanted to give us a surprise!"

Ace could feel a vein twitched in his face, "SHUT UP AND DO IT ANYWAY!"

"Ah! That's really is Ace!" both of those idiots said. Tch, how ungrateful.

* * *

The next day, Ace woke early and harassed both Sabo and Luffy to move their lazy ass. He then snuck into Dadan's secret stash of alcohol and stole her best bottle. Ace also snuck into the kitchen and grabbed three red sake cups. Silently, he managed to escape the hut and ran to the cliff. Unknown to him, Dadan already woke up and followed the boy to his destination.

When Ace reached the cliff, both Sabo and Luffy already waited there and almost fell asleep again. Quickly, Ace bonked their heads so they would wake up. "That hurt, you bastard!" Sabo shouted while holding his head while Luffy almost fell asleep again.

"Tch, just go wake Luffy up," Ace said. After several minutes, Sabo managed to rouse Luffy and Ace finished setting up the cups.

"You know, maybe one day we'll sail to the separately," Ace started as he opened up his stolen sake bottle.

"Hey! you stole Dadan's bottle, didn't you?" Luffy asked.

"Hush! Shut up and listen! Have you heard about this? They said, if you exchange cups, it makes you brother," Ace continued as he poured down the sake. Both Luffy and Sabo smiled bigger than ever, and that showed Ace that he did the right thing.

"When we become pirates, we might not be on the same ship together... But the three of us will always be brothers! No matter where we are or what we do, this bond will never be broken!" he raised his cup, his best friends, no, brothers follow suit.

"Starting today, we are BROTHERS!" and they drank the sake together, something that Ace immediately regret as the taste was just that terrible. Funnily enough, Luffy managed to drink it all and somehow looked unsatisfied. But, they are brothers now. Brothers in all but blood. And that fact made Ace felt like the darkness in his heart receded just a little bit.

* * *

They are brothers now, and Sabo never felt happier. The blond boy also noticed Ace's shoulders that always have this tiniest slouch, as if to protect himself from the world, straightened a bit. Sabo smiled even bigger, with this, even if they are separated they'll always together.

"Huh, doesn't this means Sabo has to go through gramps' training too?" Luffy suddenly said. Sabo saw Ace stiffened in fear, something that he never thought he would see.

"Luffy, don't mention the shitty gramps, or else he'd suddenly be here," Ace said seriously. Weirdly, Luffy quickly clamped up and fearfully looking around.

"What are you talking about? By gramps you mean Garp right?" he asked. Somehow, while normally Ace would yell at Luffy, this time they acted the same and covered his mouth.

"SHHH!! If you call his name he might come!" Ace hissed furiously.

"Yeah! I don't want to see him for now! Gramps scary!" Luffy whispered loudly. Confused, Sabo could only nod. The situation was tense until the bushes near them rustled. Scared, they hold each other tightly (which of course Ace denied later. Very much denied it). The wait was tense until a brown hare jumped out and escaped quickly.  
They exhaled in relief and quickly let go. Except for Luffy, he still looked scared.

"Come on Luffy, he isn't here," Ace tried to calm him, by hitting his head.

"Yeah, Garp isn't here, but I did," a voice suddenly appeared behind them. Stunned, they turned and saw Dadan. And boy, did she look mad.

"So, you stole my most expensive sake and drank it huh?" Sabo never saw Dadan smile like that. He often saw her being annoyed, angry and annoyed, but this. This is just plain scary.

"You got 5 seconds to explain brats, or else I'll kick you from here to Grey Terminal," She threatened.

The boys looked at each other, and in a rare moment of insight, the three of them agree on one thing, "RUUUUNNNN!!!!"

"DAMN BRAAAATTTTSSSS!!!" Dadan yelled and chased them. Well, those three didn't need to know the slight dampness in Dadan's eyes or the wet spots in her clothes from wiping her tears.

* * *

Sabo had never felt this happy before, well, he kind of did when he first met Ace. But this is a new kind of happiness. Really, Luffy brought brightness in their otherwise dull life. Right now, they were resting after scavenging the Grey Terminal and robbing some thugs that hang around it.

"I think we need to live away from the bandits," and there it was, another of Ace's crazy ideas.

"Huh? Why so sudden Ace?" he asked while still keeping an eye on Luffy.

"Don't you feel it's getting cramped there?" Ace retorted back. Now that he thought about it, the bandit hut did feel a bit cramped nowadays, the influx of bandits that gathered around Dadan was rather terrifying. Then again, Dadan is a rather notorious bandit around here.

"Hm, true. Where are we going to live then? Near the creek is a good place, but too many animals live near there," the blond said. Ace looked pensive, clearly, he hadn't thought that far.

"We can build a treehouse! And fly our own flag! That would be cool!" Luffy suddenly said exuberantly. Sabo saw that Ace already planned to reject it, but seemed to think about it for a second.

"That's.... actually a good idea. We could hide from predators that way. And the flooding near the creek won't be that much a problem," Sabo said. Ace nodded and agreed. Thus, the three boys went deep into the jungle to find the perfect tree for their treehouse.

* * *

Building the treehouse was fun, Sabo thought. Especially since he had the duty of making the design of the treehouse, in the dirt, using sticks, and have to be redrawn every few minutes since Luffy and Ace can't stop playfighting. It took a bonk to the head to finally calmed them down. Even then, Luffy was very much dissatisfied with the design. Something about lacking an 'oomph'. But when Sabo asked him about what 'Oomph' the treehouse was lacking, Luffy fell silent and looked confused.

"I don't know. It's just, kind of lacking a 'DON!' kind of thing," he said.

"What the hell is a 'DON!'?" Ace asked annoyedly. It's the 3rd time Luffy refused the design and the 9th time Sabo had to redraw the whole thing.

"Dunno! It's just 'DON!'" Luffy exclaimed as he raised his arms. Sabo, after seeing that Ace's patience was getting thinner and thinner, decided to intervene.

"Alright, alright. Since you didn't know what 'DON!' is, why don't we use this one for now? Maybe later we can add some upgrade to the treehouse?" he offered. Thankfully, Luffy agreed easily and they quickly head to the Grey Terminal.

* * *

Surprisingly, Luffy was rather adept at using a hammer. Not good, but not so bad that they'd rather have him hand the materials to them. As it was, Luffy did the most heavy-lifting since his devil fruit allows him to grab the materials from the ground to up the tree.

When the treehouse was finished, the three boys felt elated. This was a huge project and the sense of accomplishment from finishing it was amazing. The three boys quickly move their belonging to the treehouse and left behind a letter to Dadan that said they went to became independent.

They live in the treehouse, taking a bath at the creek nearby, and hunted by themself. It was hard, especially cleaning up the spoils of their hunt, but it was so satisfying at not having to rely on Dadan. They also didn't have to share their hunts with the bandits much to the delight of Luffy. Sabo thought Luffy might get fat from how much meat he consumes, but what did he know? For all he knew, Luffy's rubber body might use so much calories that he can't form any sort of fat.

They slept together, huddled in some sort of blanket fort. Of course, the blanket was borrowed (stolen) from Dadan. But they'll definitely return it later, much much later.

Sabo of course noticed Luffy's peculiarity when sleeping. From the half-remembered dream or when Luffy looked at Ace with so much unreadable emotion, it was scary. Whenever he or Ace tried to ask Luffy about it though, he always looked so confused. This happens so many times that they decided to dropped it.

Every day was so much fun. Until that blasted storm came.

* * *

That stupid idiotic Sabo. Who the hell told him to leave for their safety? They are brothers, weren't they? Why didn't he let us fight for him? Stupid, so stupid. Why did he agree to their offer again? Oh right, he, being an idiot that he is, thought that it will help him forget. What a wonderful idea that was, and now he and Luffy were caught in this ship and that crybaby won't stop crying.

"SHUT UP! I'm trying to think here!" he shouted. The rope chafed at his skin, but that didn't matter, What matter was the fire burning down the shack they were trapped in. It was getting bigger and bigger. Just as he started to despair, he saw a piece of broken glass near Luffy's left foot. With some coaxing and scolding, Ace managed to get Luffy to grab the shard of glass and cut their ropes. Immediately, Ace grabbed Luffy's arm and ran from the burning shack.

The Terminal looked like a scene from hell. The fire was burning uncontrollably and everyone was screaming. As they ran, Ace saw people being burned alive and several charred corpses. He gritted his teeth and kept on going to the edge of the forest. Luffy was silent and tense, the only sign he was still there was the warm hand he grabbed.

"I wonder if the people at the Terminal manage to get away?" Luffy asked as they ran through the burning pile of trash.

"This is not the time to be worrying about other people! Dammit! I don't even know where we are!" Ace complained. He wanted to yell, but he needs to keep his energy. Suddenly, he saw Luffy closed his eyes and ran to another direction.

"Oi, Luffy! Where the hell are you going??" he shouted to Luffy.

"Dadan is over here!" Luffy yelled. Ace figured it was another of Luffy's mystery power, something not even Luffy understood. It was weird, but right now it's convenient.

"Lead the way Luffy! Hurry!" Ace coughed. Luffy nodded determinedly, they have to survive this place.

But just before they managed to escape to the forest, Bluejam blocked their way. He looked mad. Ace saw his eyes and shivered. Those eyes were the eyes of someone that lose all hope. They saw no other way to live and determined to bring as many people down with them.

"Now, now, we burnt this trash heap together, why don't we die together too huh?" he smirked. Ace stilled. Behind him, Luffy growled in anger.

"Tell us where your treasure is. We'll take it before the fire consumes it!" Bluejam and his crew laughed maniacally. Their eyes were empty and cold.

"You're going to die and you're still thinking about the treasure?! Are you insane?!" Ace asked. Instead of answering, Bluejam just laughed and laughed and laughed. He was consumed by madness and despair.

"Well, if you aren't going to use it we'll make use of it. We'll use that treasure to make a comeback and take our revenge on those blasted nobles!"

Luffy tried to stop him from telling the insane man, but really, the choice is obvious. He told them the direction to take, the landmark around the treasure tree, and which tree branch it was hidden. He was hoping they would be let go, instead, those damned pirates kidnap them as well.

"You promised!" Ace yelled. He should have learned his lesson. These pirates cannot be trusted. They were the worst of the worst.

"Don't push me, boy!" Bluejam threatened as he pointed his gun at Ace and started badmouthing the nobles. He could agree with most of what he said, but when the pirate started saying Sabo was the same as those rotten people, Ace got angry. He noticed Luffy struggled in his captor's arm. He tried to make Luffy stop, but Luffy looked as if he was possessed by something.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT MY BROTHER LIKE THAT YOU BASTARD!!" Luffy roared and started to fight. His movement became smoother than ever and he wields his pipe as if it was an extension of his arm. Ace was ashamed. Here, his little brother fought for Sabo's pride. And yet, he himself, as the oldest brother kept on doubting Sabo. What kind of brother is he? No more. He'll protect them, that's his promise as the oldest.

They fight as best as they could. And yet, because of the numerous injury they sustained and lack of air amid the burning trash, they started to get tired. It came to the point where Luffy got careless and his pipe was sliced by one of the pirates, hitting his forehead. Luffy was stunned and held his forehead tightly to stem the blood, but the pirate kept on attacking. He saw Luffy can't move from there and he was too far away to grab Luffy. He had no time.

"Luffy!" the freckled boy shouted in desperation. Something flowed within him. And this something caused the pirates to faint and foaming from their mouth. Luffy looked up in surprise. Dimly, Ace saw the look of familiarity in Luffy's face before it was replaced by the look of horror.

"Ace! Behind you!" It was too late, Ace turned and saw the muzzle of a gun pointed at him. Bluejam looked angrier than he ever saw and Ace. Can't. Move!

He closed his eyes and started to smile. Really, after all this time, this is the thing that will kill him. Well, at least he met Luffy and Sabo. Too bad he'll never get to tell them how grateful he was to them.  
And then he heard a gunshot. He kept waiting for a few seconds before finally opening his eyes. To his surprise, Dadan was there, redirecting the gun so it won't shot Ace.

"LET GO OF ACE!" she shouted as she swung her ax to Bluejam. The pirate was forced to let go of his gun to escape Dadan's wild swing and the bandits took the opportunity to grab it.

"Wait, Dadan! Take care of Luffy first!" Ace yelled desperately. Dadan spits and yelled for Dogra as she stood between Ace and Bluejam with her ax on her shoulder.

"You are the boss monkey from Mt. Corvo," Bluejam noted surprised.

"I am Dadan the bandit, and was forced to foster these brats," she declared proudly, changing her stance so she could maneuver easier.

"Now, RUN!!" Dadan said as she ordered her group to go with her. And yet, Ace didn't move. He kept standing in front of Bluejam, glaring and gripping his pipe tightly.

"Ace! What are you doing!?" Dadan shouted.

"I will never run away!" he declared determinedly. Dadan tsked. Damn these brats for worrying her. Luffy too won't leave his brother alone.

"Fine, take Luffy and run," she ordered her men.

"But, Boss!"

"I'll make sure Ace'll get back with me," she said while moving closer to Ace.

Luffy struggled in the bandit's hold. Shouting and yelling that he must stay with Ace. But the bandit held strong and carry him away.

"ACEEEE!!"


	4. Announcement

Due to the start of my college and the many classworks and assignments I had, all Of my fic is under hiatus until further notice. It will be updated when I had time, but don't be surprised if it took until next year for me to do so.

Sorry about this. Stay safe and wear a mask, See ya~


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